Kurdish Leader Moved to New Prison Section Amid Turkish Peace Efforts

Turkey has moved Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), to a new section of his island prison on Imrali. The move is part of ongoing efforts to end decades of conflict between the PKK and Turkish authorities.

Ocalan has been held on Imrali Island in the Marmara Sea since his capture in 1999. Improving his prison conditions has been a significant demand from Kurdish representatives involved in the peace process.

Mithat Sancar, a Kurdish official and lawmaker for the pro-Kurdish DEM Party, confirmed Ocalan's relocation in a recent interview. Sancar indicated that the new prison section may offer improved accommodations, though he did not provide explicit details. He also stated that the peace process has been on a pause for the past two months and stressed that Ocalan's move necessitates an acceleration of these efforts.

Since February 2025, a group of DEM Party politicians, including Sancar, have been visiting Ocalan. His influence among Kurds remains substantial, and he is considered pivotal to advancing peace negotiations. Following Ocalan's call for the PKK to disband and disarm, the group announced in April 2025 that it would lay down its arms and end hostilities. This development led to Turkish parliamentary approval of legislation in August 2025, offering conditional pardons to thousands of PKK fighters, which was subsequently signed into law by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The conflict involving the PKK, designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths since 1984. Sancar emphasized that Ocalan, a co-founder of the PKK, must be involved in coordinating peace negotiations. He urged the Turkish government to move away from a rigid stance, stating that the process cannot progress based on unilateral expectations and demands.